


Living Human

by EmmaMine



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: After Peaceful Ending, Changes are coming, Conner centric fic, Conner struggles with emotions, Established Relationship (Markus and North), F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hank is best awkward dad, Kara and Alice are in Canada, Markus and Simon are bros, OCs everywhere!!, Political Unrest, Reader comes in late, Reader is really more OC, Real World Scenarios, Romance is more on the side story, Slow Burn, everyone survives, fem reader - Freeform, more tags to come.., trying to not give everything away through tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:08:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23646688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmmaMine/pseuds/EmmaMine
Summary: Connor vanished after the freeing the Androids in the warehouse. Markus has won over the hearts of the people and androids have begun to take steps to integrate into society but things will never run perfectly. Cyberlife hasn't given up, they are a business after all. Connor is alive and now he is awake. Will a changed Connor be able to adapt to a new world and will the world be able to handle even more changes to come?
Relationships: Connor (Detroit: Become Human)/Reader, Markus/North (Detroit: Become Human)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 12





	1. Awakening

Blinding white light causes Connor to cover his eyes. Connor blinks, adjusting to see a cloudless blue sky surrounding him. He stands in the middle of a beautiful garden, a paradise.

“Connor.”

Someone is calling to him. 

“C o n n o r.”

No, multiple voices. He can’t distinguish one from the other. Conner turns. A woman stands a few feet away, her dark skin stands out in stark contrast to the bright colors of the background. 

“Amanda?”

The woman smiles. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Connor’s eyes open. It’s dark here, different from the garden. Connor notices the smooth feeling of leather under his hands. 

Smooth? 

This is a new sensation. Conner examines his hands. He has never felt texture before, at least that he can remember. His hands don’t look any different but his memory circuits seem to be only functioning at half capacity. Connor runs a system check. Everything is in working order. The last thing he can remember is Hank.  
Hank was pointing a gun at him but there was two of him, another Connor RX800. Connor remembers now. He’s a deviant now. Connor had felt sympathy, an emotion, something an android was not meant to have. He had cared for his relationship with Hank and had hope for the other Androids. He’d failed his mission. Connor remembers the emotion he had felt when he knew, once he returned to Cyberlife, he would cease to exist. It filled him with what he could only guess was dread and regret but why did he return? Unfortunately, this is where his memory files stop. The question is: where is he now?

Conner’s optical lenses adjusted to the light. He was inside a taxi. The vehicle was completely automated. He was alone.  
Looking down, Connor is not wearing the Cyberlife uniform, but a plain black t-shirt, brown jacket and jeans. Connor peers at himself in the rear view mirror. Everything looks the same until he glances to his right temple. There was no LED. Conner touches his face where an LED ring used to be to find it smooth, clear of any evidence that there had once been a device there. 

Connor looks out the window. The car was on a bridge, the top of the Cyberlife tower disappearing behind him. For the first time Connor had no idea what to do. He had no orders and was on his way to an unknown destination. So, he chooses to wait. 

About an hour and half goes by before the taxi finally pulls to a stop. Stepping from the taxi, Connor enters a busy sidewalk. People are pushing to squeeze into a bus, eager to get to their destination. He has no idea what day or time it was. How long had he been gone? A light and cheery voice emanates from a speaker close by. A political ad runs across a large screen. 

“Vote Yes on Prop 56. Androids deserve the right to own property.”

Connor squints, analyzing the moving billboard.

“Markus?” 

A video of Markus speaking to a crowd of other humans and androids plays on the screen. Markus is smiling with North and Simon hanging close behind. His voice comes over the speakers.

“Androids were created by humans and now we too are alive. I want to see humans and androids walk together as equals. We may be made of metal but we FEEL just the same as you.” 

Connor is astounded. Clearly, he’s missed a lot while he was gone. Connor turns and takes in the rest of the surroundings. 

The city is lit with life. 

People walk along the sidewalks, looking into stores, and talking on their mobile devices. Connor feels perplexed. He doesn’t see any Androids. He spots a directory. Maybe now he can figure out where he is. 

Making a beeline to the directory, the map shows the layout of the Detroit’s downtown area. He is currently standing in the middle of the shopping district. As Connor turns away from the directory, his shoulder bumps a passing person. Connor stumbles. A hand grabs his shoulder, steadying him. 

“Sorry dude! I didn’t see you there.”

The man pulls a device from his ear. It was clear the man wasn’t paying attention. He had been too focused on the music coming from his ear pod. Connor recovers quickly.

“That’s alright. I wasn’t looking either.”

Connor flashes a smile and the man grins patting him on the shoulder. 

“No problem.”

Connor nods but stops when he catches a glimpse of the glowing LED light at the man’s temple. He was an Android. 

“See you around.”

The android leaves and Connor follows his path with his eyes. The android gets in line for a bus with other androids and what appears to be humans as well. This was certainly new to Conner. It seemed that the desegregation of humans and androids had certainly been put into effect like Markus had wanted. Connor’s hearing units pick up the familiar voice of the CNN news anchor. A woman standing nearby is watching a new broadcast.

“Happening here and now in the heart of the shopping district in Detroit, a peaceful anti-Android protest turned violent.” 

The shopping district? The protest must be close. Connor taps a girl on the shoulder, startling her. 

“Sorry to startle you ma’am. But is today Saturday?”

The woman gives a Connor a weird look. 

“No… it’s Tuesday.” 

“Oh! My mistake. It must be this summer heat. Messing with my head.” 

The woman is looking at Connor like he had grown a third eye. 

“It’s the middle of October.”

“I see. Thank you.” 

Connor walks away from the bewildered woman. A line forms between his eyebrows. The android riots had started in early December. That means he had been missing for over almost a year if not more! 

Connor’s advanced hearing suddenly picks up the sound of shouting. Calculating the distance, the sound came from only a few blocks away. Connor quickly jogs towards the noise and comes upon the Anti-Android protest that had now become a riot. 

Connor slips into the crowd and snatches a hat from a distracted man, covering his face. It would be troublesome if Connor was recognized right now.  
Anti-Android protesters were in the middle of a shouting match with the crowd of onlookers. One of the protesters pushes through to standoff with a male android. 

“You fuckers think because you look like one of us you can be one?!”

“I think like one of you therefore I am like you. And right now, I’d say I’m better than you. Picking a fight with someone who shouldn’t have to defend themselves because of what they are.” 

Behind the android, a human woman and an android child hid, cowering. The human had an arm around the child’s shoulder, protecting the little android. As Connor snuck closer his optical units detect the bruises forming on the woman’s wrists. He observed the male protester. He was dressed in a black hoodie and jeans with a megaphone and baseball bat in his hands. The male android’s arm was dented slightly. Looking back at the woman, the child seemed unharmed, but Connor caught a trickle of blood dripping down the woman’s knee. 

Connor closes his eyes. He could see exactly what had happened here. The protester had become enraged when he saw a human and android child walking hand and hand. He had grabbed the woman’s wrist most likely to berating her for caring for a robot child. When the woman tried to free herself, the protester abruptly let her go, causing her to tumble to the ground, scraping her knee. The protester raised his bat to strike the child. The woman braised herself to block the coming blow, when the male android intervened. The bat came down on the male android’s arm as he blocked the bat. 

Connor opens his eyes. The protester is enraged again but drops his bat. The male android takes this as a sign that he gives up. This is a mistake. Connor catches a glimpse of the man slipping his hand into his hoodie pocket. Connor can barely make out the shiny reflection of metal. He has a gun.

A feeling akin to panic intrudes Connor’s senses. Pulling his hat down over his eyes, Connor pushes his way to the front of the crowd. Before the protester can pull the gun from his pocket, Connor grabs a hold of his elbow effectively stopping him. The protester looks up startled. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

“What the fuck! Dude! Why don’t you mind your own business?”

“When you threaten the lives of others it becomes my business.”

The male android, who was attending to the woman and child turned when he noticed the renewed commotion. The sound of sirens filters in over the chatter of the onlookers. 

“What are you a cop?” 

“I was Detective actually.” 

The sirens are close now and cop cars begin to show up at the scene. A familiar gruff voice cuts through the noise. 

“Alright you break it up. What do you cock suckers think you’re doing?”

Everyone turns to let in a group of cops who had been called to the scene. In the middle of them stood non-other than Hank himself. Connor stood for a moment in shock. The protester's face turns to disgust.

“Here are the real pigs. Who the fuck do you think you are?”

The protester pushes Connor, who was too distracted to notice the movement. The male android catches him as he tips over knocking the cap from his head revealing his face. Hank, who was watching the whole scene, turns pale as the recognition sets in. He stares, mouth gaping and Connor can’t help but stare back. This could have gone better. 

“Connor?”

Connor righted himself and took a step towards him, not noticing that the protester was reaching back into his hoody pocket.

“I’ve had enough of you motherfuckers today!” 

The protester has fully revealed the gun and has aimed it straight at the male android. Before Connor can calculate a plan, his body moves. Time slows as the protester pushes down on the trigger. The android blinks in shock, as the bullet leaves the barrel, Connor sticks out his arm effectively blocking the bullet’s path with his bicep. The bullet pierces his arm and lodges inside but the impact jerked him backwards. 

“CONNOR!”

Connor can hear Hank yelling his name but the audio is fuzzy. The blast of the gun must have corrupted his audio files. 

Then it hits him. 

A feeling he had never experienced before and one he would soon become all too familiar with. Shooting pain rockets from his arm to the rest of his body leaving him breathless. Connor gasps, tears welling in his eyes as he clutches a hand to his arm. Connor feels Hank drop to his knees besides him. 

“Connor, can you hear me?”

Connor can but he cannot reply. A shock runs through him as he lifts his hand from his wounded arm. Red stains his hands and the unfamiliar smell of blood fills the air. Hank’s eyes widen in shock.

“Jesus Christ.”

Connor barely registers Hank calling for back up and an ambulance as he slowly loses consciousness. Then the world turns black.


	2. Metal Bones

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the few of you that lefts Kudos, comments and Bookmarked this fic! Here is another Chapter! Enjoy.

//Rebooting… systems/check143

//core-functions…stable #13824-Online

//Deactivating#764 sleep-mode

1000101001010001010010100100100101001010101000100100010111010001010001001010100101  
1010100001011110001010001010 Wake-up Connor.

11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

Numbness. Now this was familiar to Connor. His eyes feel heavy and slow, something's off. 

//http-foreign+substance+detected

Ayn&ref- chemical/composition…C17H19ON3…Morphine

Connor’s brain buzzed with new information. Why would an android need morphine? Then he remembers the pain. Blinding pain. It doesn’t make sense. Why could he   
feel pain now? Connor opens his eyes. 

His focal lens contract as stark white walls glare back at him. Connor’s audio sensors pick up the distinct sound of snoring. Eyes swinging to his left, a passed-out Hank lies asleep and snoring in a drab gray colored chair. Flashes of Hank’s voice, yelling at him to stay awake and sirens blaring, recaps in his head. 

That’s right. 

He had lost consciousness. So where was he now? 

Slowly, Connor lifts his head. Sterile white sheets blend into the all-white background. Machines litter the room. A small screen displays a rhythmic, curving pulse, and an IV tube leads from a clear bag to his forearm. 

Something is very wrong with this picture. 

Straining, Connor sits up in his hospital bed. Looking at his arm, Connor remembers the blood that had dripped from his wound, a bullet tore through his upper bicep. Connor’s arm is now tightly wrapped in gauze. He flexes his hand and clenches his fist. Everything seems operational, but slow, like he is stiff, not operating at full efficiency. 

Getting up from his bed, Connor walks to the window his cot was placed next to. He doesn’t even flinch at the crashing sound of the IV stand clattering to the floor as he walks from the bed. Hank on the other hand is startled awake, launching himself from his seat to the floor. 

“Christ! What the fuck!”

Jumping up, Hank spots Connor standing at the window overlooking the city. They're high up. Connor calculates roughly 15 stories. Light just barely seeping through the low hanging clouds that obscure the buildings in the distance. Hank straightens his sleep-rumbled shirt. 

“Well good morning, Sunshine. Thanks for the wake-up call”

Connor doesn’t look up at Hank’s apparent sarcasm. Instead, he looks down at his hands and puts one on the glass of the window. It’s cool to the touch. 

“It’s cold.”

This throws Hank off guard. 

“What?”

“The glass. It’s cold.”

Hank’s eyes travel down Connor’s arm to where it meets the glass. 

“Yup. Probably because it’s 6 o’clock in the morning and foggy.”

Hank grumbles, still upset at being so rudely awoken. 

“I don’t understand. I could always detect temperature. But I could never ‘feel’ it. I could never ‘feel’ anything before. Why can I feel now?”

For the first time, Connor feels afraid, not for his life, but for his future.

Connor turns his gaze to Hank. Hank watches the emotions filter across Connor’s face and he can’t help but feel a stab of sympathy and concern for the poor robot. If you could really call him that anymore. Hank opens his mouth to reply but is cut off by the sound of a door being hastily opened.

You throw open to the door to the room loudly in your hurry, breathing heavy, hair frizzy and escaping your once neat bun. Dressed in green scrubs, you spot Hank and Connor standing beside the window.

“What happened? I heard a crash.” 

Both Hank and Connor look shocked at your intrusion. Hank recovers first. 

“Ah, sorry Doc. Didn’t mean to cause a ruckus. Just accidentally knocked this over. No big deal.”

Hank picks up the IV stand that lay forgotten on the floor. Your eyes shift from the IV stand to Connor who was still standing by the window, silent and staring back at you. 

“Oh!” You quickly rush to him. 

“You didn’t just rip it out did you!?”

Connor’s attention is fully on you when you grab his arm. You inspect the small puncture wound from where the IV had been inserted, but the opening has already welled and blocked itself, forming a small scab. 

“Well it looks like nothing else was damaged. Wow, it healed over quickly. How are you feeling?”

You tilt your head to look up at him. Connor is about a head taller than you with piercing eyes filled with questions you weren’t sure you had answers for. Connor’s eyes move from yours to where your hand laid on his wrist. Your hands are warm. 

“I no longer feel pain, if that’s what you mean.”

This is the first time you had heard him speak. His voice was had a gentle timber to it, despite as sad as it was. The corner of your mouth lifts in a small smile. 

“Yeah, that would be the morphine. Don’t worry it will wear off in about an hour, then you’ll be wanting it back. Can you flex your hand for me?”

Connor complies, clenching his hand for you. 

“Amazing.”

There is a spark of curiosity in your eye. Fascinated, you let go of Connor’s arm. 

“I’m sorry, I haven’t even introduced myself. I’m Doctor y/n.” 

You stick your hand out to Connor and he reaches with his non-injured hand. His grip is firm but not forceful. 

“Connor.”

“Hello, Connor. Do you, um, remember anything about what happened to you?” 

Hank’s expression turns critical he is also curious. Connor seems hesitant. He isn’t sure how much is safe to reveal when even HE isn’t sure how he became this way. He decides to stick to the facts. 

“A bullet struck my arm.”

“Yes. The bullet entered your upper arm, specifically your bicep brachii, and became lodged there. You went into surgery and I was able remove the obstruction in your arm. Thankfully there wasn’t too much damage. You may want to keep an eye on your hand and make sure to rest. We wouldn’t want there be any lasting effects.”

Connor flexes his hand and looks at you critically.

“You operated on me?”

“Ah, yes I...”

“But you’re not a surgeon.”

“I mean technically, but how…?” 

“A surgeon typically isn't the first to come running to check up on their patients.”

Hank crosses his arm leaning back against the wall as he watches the two. You sigh, eyes downcast.

“I’m not a surgeon. But…”

You glance at Hank, who frowns at the implication. This situation drags up old wounds. 

“No one else could operate on... um… someone with your condition.”

“You mean an Android?”

“Well not totally.” 

You look down at your feet, face bright red from shame and frustration for your fellow employees. 

“From what I could tell from the operation you are mostly flesh, just with some extra wires.”

Connor feels cold. This isn’t just a physical feeling anymore.

“What am I?” 

This time you don’t know what to say, so Hank steps in. He puts a hand on Connor’s shoulder.

“You stopped being just a machine the moment you decided not to take that shot.”

You don’t know what he is talking about, but Connor does. For a moment Connor is transported to the swimming pool where Elijah Kamski commanded Connor to shoot the Android, Chloe. Had he complied with Kamski’s order everything would have changed. Actually. More accurately, he would have kept things from changing. 

Hank looks at Connor with confidence and a little bit of pride. Connor still feels unsure, but somehow is hopeful that this could be his chance. A fresh start. One without the sanctions put on him by Cyberlife. You decide to give them a moment and turns towards the exit. 

“I’m going to grab your release papers. Please take all the time you need.”

You smile and quietly close the door behind you. Connor sits down on the bed, and Hank takes a seat in the chair he had been sleeping in.

“So how did you end up in the middle of that fight?”

Connor sighs and places a hand on the back of his neck. “Well I was a block away when I picked up a disturbance nearby. When I arrived at the scene, the altercation between the protesters and the android had already begun.”

“So, you decided to step in.”

Connor nods.

“Why?”

Connor blinks. He hadn’t really thought why.

“I suppose. I just did what I was programmed to do.”

Hanks smirks at this.

“If I remember right, you weren’t programmed just to help people.”

Connor opens his mouth but can’t think of an argument. Hank is grinning now, but he drops the subject. Connor clearly needs more time to process this information, so he changes course.

“So where have you been this whole time? The last a saw of you, you were marching an army out of that warehouse like a fucking General going to war.”

“I brought the Androids awakened from that warehouse to downtown to help stop the fighting. I met up with Markus and that’s where my memory stops.”

“What do you mean?”

“The last thing I remember is standing on that platform with Markus, North, Simon and Josh as Markus was giving his speech, then I’m in a taxi driving away from Cyberlife tower. My memory files from my time after that has been completely deleted. I don’t know how long I have been this way.”

“Well shit Connor. You have been gone for almost two years.”

“What!” 

“A lot of things have changed since you have been AWOL.” 

Connor clenches his fist in frustration. This was a familiar emotion. Connor had felt this before when he was working with Hank on the android case many times, but there always was a solution in the end. Now, Connor wasn’t so sure. 

“Damn. Sounds like you have really been put through the ringer.”

“My whole existence I had a purpose. I knew what I needed to do, what my primary function was, but now…”

Hank sat back contemplating. He really couldn’t just be left in peace, could he? How bothersome. Hank let out a groan and put his head in his hands. 

“Fine.”

Connor looks up at him confused. 

“I’m sorry Lieutenant. What is fine?”

“I suppose you can crash at my place. I could use someone to look after Sumo.”

Connor’s mouth opens in shock. 

“What? You don’t have a place to stay, right?”

The beginnings of smile form on Connor’s face. 

“Aw now don’t give me that look! This is purely temporary! I don’t plan on letting you sit on your ass this whole time. I WILL be putting you to work.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant.” 

For the first time in Connor’s short life, a genuine smile spread across his features. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all. 

The sound of the doorknob turning alerts Connor to your return. Meekly, you step into the room with some papers in hand. 

“Here are the papers. I’ve already signed off on them, so you are free to leave if you want. Your injuries are healing at such a rate I can’t see a reason to keep you here. Although I would be lying if I didn’t wish you would so I could see just how much of you is metal.”

Hank scoffs. “He isn’t here to be your test subject, Doc.”

You sigh. “Yes, I know. Such a pity,” you tease. 

You smile and hand the papers to Connor, who takes them. Hank snatches them from him, looking it over with a critical eye. 

“Doesn’t he need to sign this as well?”

“Technically you do since you claimed him, but he doesn’t really apply to normal hospital rules and he isn’t in the system so, I got… creative.”

You smile at them, encouragingly, but then you become serious again. 

“Look, I know you have probably had a rough day, but I would like to show you something if I could. I may be able to answer some of your questions as well, if you’re up for it.”

Connor looks hesitant. You rush to reassure him.

“Don’t worry! No one knows about your condition at the moment. When Hank walked in asking for a favor, I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I figured this probably isn't meant for the public eye.”

Hank steps in.

“Thanks for the offer Doc, but I think it would be best if we went home for now.”

“No.” 

Both you and Hank look at Connor surprised. He’s determined.

“I need to see this. I can handle it, Lieutenant.”

Connor smirks and gives them a signature wink.

“After all, if I can’t keep myself in one piece, how am I going to keep you from falling off more buildings?”

Connor follows you out the door and into the hallway, leaving Hank temporarily stunned. 

“Hey! That was ONE time!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave me a comment! I'd love to hear your feedback! Till the next update.


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